Night Whispers
by Flock
Summary: As her relationship with Ivypaw continues to decrease, Dovepaw begins to question her whole world, causing new secrets to emerge and loyalties to be tested like never before. Post-Fading Echoes, my version of Night Whispers. Rated T for safety.
1. Allegiances

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the cats below, nor do I own Warriors, or the title of this fanfic. Nothing witty here, sorry.

I'm not going to do much talking here. I used to be Spiritpelt, but as you can see I'm not anymore, haha. My name's Flock, if you haven't met me yet, and if you have, well then that's lovely! This is MY version of Night Whispers, the third book in the Omen of the Stars series. SO, if you dislike spoilers and you haven't read up to the end of Fading Echoes, BACK AWAY SLOWLY. lol.

The only places where these allegiances have been changed from Fading Echoes are the new warriors in ThunderClan (and one less elder )': ) and ShadowClan's new deputy. kthxbye.

_**ThunderClan**_  
**Leader:** Firestar – ginger tom with a flame-colored pelt

**Deputy:** Brambleclaw – dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Medicine Cat:** Jayfeather – gray tabby tom

**Warriors:**  
Graystripe – long-haired gray tom

Dustpelt – dark brown tabby tom

Sandstorm – pale ginger she-cat

Brackenfur – golden brown tabby tom

Sorreltail – tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with amber eyes

Cloudtail – long-haired white tom

Brightheart – white she-cat with ginger patches

Thornclaw – golden brown tabby tom  
(Apprentice, Briarpaw)

Squirrelflight – dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

Leafpool – light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes, former medicine cat

Spiderleg – long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes

Birchfall – light brown tabby tom

Whitewing – white she-cat with green eyes

Berrynose – cream-colored tom

Hazeltail – small gray-and-white she-cat  
(Apprentice, Blossompaw)

Mousewhisker – gray-and-white tom  
(Apprentice, Bumblepaw)

Cinderheart – gray tabby she-cat

(Apprentice, Ivypaw)

Lionblaze – golden tabby tom

(Apprentice, Dovepaw)

Foxleap – reddish tabby tom

Icecloud – white she-cat

Toadstep – black-and-white tom

Rosepetal – dark cream she-cat

Briarlight – dark brown she-cat

Bumblestripe – pale gray tom with black stripes

Blossomfall – tortoiseshell and white she-cat

**Apprentices:**

Dovepaw – gray she-cat, green eyes

Ivypaw – white-and-brown tabby she-cat

**Queens:**  
Ferncloud – pale gray (with darker flecks) she-cat, green eyes

Daisy – cream long-furred she-cat from the horseplace

Poppyfrost – tortoiseshell she-cat, mother of Berrynose's kits: Molekit (brown-and-cream tom) and Cherrykit (ginger she-cat)

**Elders:**  
Mousefur – small dusky brown she-cat

Purdy – plump tabby with a gray muzzle, former loner

_**ShadowClan**_  
**Leader:** Blackstar – large white tom with huge jet-black paws

**Deputy:** Rowanclaw – ginger tom

**Medicine Cat:** Littlecloud – very small tabby tom  
(Apprentice, Flametail)

**Warriors:**  
Oakfur – small brown tom  
(Apprentice, Ferretpaw)

Smokefoot – black tom

Toadfoot – dark brown tom

Applefur – mottled brown she-cat

Crowfrost – black-and-white tom

Ratscar – brown tom with long scar across his back  
(Apprentice, Pinepaw)

Snowbird – pure white she-cat

Tawnypelt – tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes  
(Apprentice, Starlingpaw)

Olivenose – tortoiseshell she-cat

Owlclaw – light brown tabby tom

Shrewfoot – gray she-cat with black feet

Scorchfur – dark gray tom

Redwillow – mottled brown and ginger tom

Tigerheart – dark brown tabby tom

Dawnpelt – cream-furred she-cat

**Apprentices:**  
Flametail – ginger tom

Ferretpaw – cream-and-gray tom

Pinepaw – black she-cat

Starlingpaw – ginger tom

**Queens:**  
Kinkfur – tabby she-cat with long fur that sticks out at all angles

Ivytail – black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat

**Elders:**  
Tallpoppy – long-legged light brown tabby she-cat

Cedarheart – dark gray tom

Snaketail – dark brown tom with tabby-striped tail

Whitewater – white she-cat with long fur, blind in one eye

_**WindClan**_  
**Leader:** Onestar – brown tabby tom

**Deputy:** Ashfoot – gray she-cat

**Medicine Cat:** Kestrelflight – mottled gray tom

**Warriors:**  
Crowfeather – dark gray tom

Owlwhisker – light brown tabby tom  
(Apprentice, Whiskerpaw)

Whitetail – small white she-cat

Nightcloud – black she-cat

Gorsetail – very pale gray-and-white tom with blue eyes

Weaselfur – ginger tom with white paws

Harespring – brown-and-white tom

Leaftail – dark tabby tom with amber eyes

Antpelt – brown tom with one black ear

Emberfoot – gray tom with two dark paws

Heathertail – light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes  
(Apprentice, Furzepaw)

Breezepelt – black tom with amber eyes  
(Apprentice, Boulderpaw)

Sedgewhisker – light brown tabby she-cat

Swallowtail – dark gray she-cat

Sunstrike – tortoiseshell she-cat with large white mark on her forehead

**Apprentices:**  
Furzepaw – gray-and-white she-cat

Boulderpaw – large pale gray tom

Whiskerpaw – light brown tom

**Queens:**  
None

**Elders:**  
Tornear – tabby tom

Webfoot – dark gray tabby tom

_**RiverClan**_  
**Leader:** Mistystar – gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Deputy:** Reedwhisker – black tom  
(Apprentice, Hollowpaw)

**Medicine Cat:** Mothwing – dappled golden she-cat  
(Apprentice, Willowshine)

**Warriors:**  
Graymist – pale gray tabby  
(Apprentice, Troutpaw)

Mintfur – light gray tabby tom

Icewing – white she-cat with blue eyes

Minnowtail – dark gray she-cat  
(Apprentice, Mossypaw)

Pebblefoot – mottled gray tom  
(Apprentice, Rushpaw)

Mallownose – light brown tabby tom

Robinwing – tortoiseshell-and-white tom

Beetlewhisker – brown-and-white tabby tom

**Apprentices:**  
Willowshine – gray tabby she-cat

Hollowpaw – dark brown tabby tom

Troutpaw – pale gray tabby she-cat

Mossypaw – brown-and-white she-cat

Rushpaw – light brown tabby tom

**Queens:**  
Duskfur – brown tabby she-cat

Mosspelt – tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

**Elders:**  
Blackclaw – smoky-black tom

Voletooth – small brown tabby tom

Dawnflower – pale gray she-cat

Dapplenose – mottled gray she-cat

Pouncetail – ginger-and-white tom

_**Cats Outside of Clans**_

Smoky – muscular gray-and-white tom who lives in a barn at the Horseplace

Floss – small gray-and-white she-cat who lives at the Horseplace

_**Other Animals**_

Midnight – a star-gazing badger who lives by the sea


	2. One

**Disclaimer: Surprisingly, I don't own Warriors. WHO KNEW?**

**Well hi guys (: It's Flock. As I failed miserably to finish my version of Fading Echoes before the real one came out, I really don't have the motivation to complete it, as much as I tried to convince myself I needed to. I really hate abandoning stories in the middle :(**

**So, to try and make it up to you, here's my version of Night Whispers! :D This starts about a day after the end of the real Fading Echoes, and then there's a short time skip (about two weeks) in the middle of this chapter, so don't get confused.**

**Thanks to both of you who reviewed already! lol, and it was only the allegiances too. And Joseph - fixed it, thanks c: I don't know what happened there, lol.  
**

Dovepaw scanned the camp sadly, her tail curled around her paws as she sat next to the depressingly empty fresh-kill pile—with all the warriors injured from the battle with ShadowClan, there hadn't been many who had the time or strength to go hunting. The burden was placed largely on the apprentices and the few warriors who were uninjured, but there just weren't enough cats. Her belly rumbled and she struggled to keep her thoughts off food. _Feed the queens and elders first. Feed the queens and elders first, _she thought, clenching her teeth determinedly.

"Hey, Dovepaw!" Dovepaw turned at the sound of Lionblaze's voice, ears pricked. Her mentor was padding through the camp entrance with a blackbird in his jaws; and Dovepaw's chest swelled with pride. It wasn't every cat who was lucky enough to have Lionblaze as a mentor. Dovepaw scampered to meet him, and when she did so, she was surprised to see that Lionblaze dropped the bird at her own paws; spitting out feathers disdainfully.

"I can't take this!" Dovepaw insisted, pushing it away. _As much I want to… _"There's still so much of the Clan that needs to be fed, you know, besides me—I'll bet Briarlight could use a good meal…"

Lionblaze shook his head. "Brightheart already caught something for her. You and Ivypaw should share this. You two have been working so hard—the last thing I need is for you to end up in Jayfeather's den from exhaustion!" Amusement flashed in Lionblaze's brown eyes, but Dovepaw could tell that he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, she picked up the blackbird and quickly searched the hollow for her sister, who she found playing with Poppyfrost's two kits, who seemed to have boundless energy despite the noticeably subdued vibe in the ThunderClan camp.

Eager at the chance to catch up with her littermate, she raced over to the nursery, barely able to skid to a stop before she tripped over the kits. Dovepaw dropped the fresh-kill with a _thud_, and Ivypaw's eyes grew wide at the sight of the plump bird. "Is that for us?" she asked incredulously, her whiskers quivering. Dovepaw nodded, smiling a little.

"Lionblaze caught it." She watched as the two kits tussled, quickly losing interest in Ivypaw as her sister turned her attention away. Cherrykit had Molekit pinned, and they were shouting kit-insults at each other, pretending as if the other were an invader. "D'you remember when we were that little, Ivypaw?" she mewed, sighing tiredly, feeling as if the exhaustion was finally catching up to her. "We didn't have to worry about anything except getting caught for sneaking out of camp…I'd give anything to be that carefree again. Wouldn't you?" But when Dovepaw looked up at her sister, instead of eagerly agreeing with her as she'd expected Ivypaw to do, the tabby-and-white she-cat merely shot her a funny look and began tearing into the blackbird ravenously.

"Definitely not," Ivypaw said between bites, her voice muffled by the fresh-kill in her mouth. "Being stuck in the nursery all day was so _boring_. You couldn't do anything interesting, and every cat treated you like you didn't even know how to speak. I can't wait until I'm a warrior and _I _get to look down on the kits!"

Dovepaw's fur bristled at Ivypaw's shallow remark. "How could you say that?"

Confusion passed over Ivypaw's face, and then after a heartbeat of tense silence, she shook her head in disbelief. "Great StarClan, it was a _joke_. Can't take one of those nowadays, I guess?" she mewed bitterly, getting suddenly to her paws. As she padded away, she called one last thing over her shoulder, "Take the rest of it. I got my fill."

Her heart sinking to her stomach, Dovepaw watched her sister leave, feeling helpless and mousebrained. _Stupid! _she scolded herself, pulling her ears back in surrender as she stared blankly at the half-eaten fresh-kill that lay at her paws. _You're supposed to be trying to stay close to Ivypaw, not push her away! _Dovepaw halfheartedly took a bite of the bird, but it only tasted like sand and sorrow. The unexpected quarrel with Ivypaw had sapped away her appetite, even though her belly was still as empty as the abandoned Twoleg nest. Forcing herself to stomach the rest so as not to be wasteful, she couldn't help but wonder if repairing her relationship with her sister, from whom she'd once been inseparable, really was a lost cause. _But it can't be! It shouldn't _have _to be! _Dovepaw's chest tightened with desperation, watching with growing sadness as Ivypaw made her way across the camp to join Rosepetal and Blossomfall. _I've got to think of a way to bring us together again!_

… … …

"Dovepaw, dear, I think you missed a spot…"

Dovepaw flexed her claws, trying not to spit back a sharp remark. She smoothed the moss over where she had missed, thinking with resentment about all the other things she could be doing. "Is that alright, Daisy?" she asked, wincing at the disinterest that was so plain in her voice. She saw surprise flash in the lazy queen's eyes for a heartbeat, and a million different snarky things ran through her head. _Don't even start with me. You're not even a proper Clan cat. You don't know what this is like…_

"It's perfect, thank you!" Any surprise Daisy had felt had surely faded away as soon as she had done so. Purring happily, she padded around in tight circles and then settled into the fresh nest, blinking gratefully at Dovepaw. "I can't believe how hard you've worked!"

"Neither can I," Dovepaw muttered, looking around tiredly at the spotless nursery. It was a half-moon after the deadly battle with ShadowClan, and the recently recovered warriors were so busy making up for lost time that she and Ivypaw, the only apprentices, had been virtually confined to camp, working harder than ever now that they had no other help. "I can't wait until Poppyfrost's kits get apprenticed. It's not fair for me and Ivypaw to have to do all the boring stuff," she complained aloud, hoping Daisy would at least be a sympathetic ear when no one else had the time to listen.

Daisy chuckled. "Well, now you've finished the nursery, so I think you've got some extra time on your hands before Mousefur and Purdy get hungry again…why don't you go explore?"

Dovepaw's face lit up. "That's right!" Eager to get away from the talkative queen, she scurried out of the nursery, careful not to wreck the nests she'd so scrupulously constructed, and added on an afterthought, "Just call me if you need anything else!"

If Daisy answered, Dovepaw was gone before she could hear it. Blinking furiously as the sunlight flashed in her eyes, she took a deep, hungry breath of fresh air, her fur bristling with pleasure at the warm touch of the daylight. _If I had had to stay in that stuffy nursery any longer, I might have suffocated! _she thought, purring with laughter at her own joke. It felt good to be able to make jokes again—the atmosphere in the camp had been so solemn, after the tree incident, and then the battle; it had almost been as if every cat had forgotten how to laugh.

"Dovepaw!"

At the sound of her sister's voice Dovepaw whirled around, always happy when Ivypaw struck up a conversation first. Dovepaw could almost _feel _them slowly growing apart, like a mountain was slowly emerging in between them. "Hey!" Dovepaw mewed, trying to keep her tone light. She found that almost anything could set her sister off these days.

Ivypaw's deep blue eyes were wide with excitement. "Cinderheart said I did such a good job keeping Cherrykit and Molekit busy that she'd take me out hunting!"

"That's great," Dovepaw said, struggling to sound enthusiastic as her heart sank. _This is what she wanted to talk to me about?_

Ivypaw laughed, shaking her head good-naturedly. "Mousebrain, I want you to come _with_ me!" she explained, her whiskers quivering as she giggled.

Dovepaw's heart skipped a beat. _Yes! Yes! _"You really want me to?" she asked, her ears pricking. "Of course I'll come!" Her paws itching with the longing to get out of camp, she turned and practically bounced toward the thorn tunnel entrance, Ivypaw hot on her tail. She had so much momentum going she had to swerve knocking Purdy straight off his paws. "Sorry!" she called, collapsing with Ivypaw at the edge of the forest, trying to catch her breath from laughing so hard. The fact that she was laughing and having a good, innocent time with her sister combined with the fact that she was getting all her energy out after felt like she'd been restricted to camp for moons made her feel like she walking on air. A crow flew overhead and blocked out the sun for a moment, and Dovepaw gave a little sporfle. She looked at Ivypaw, trying to suppress more laughter. "D-did you see that?"

"Birdy," Ivypaw deadpanned, and then they both cracked up, their loud giggles bouncing off the trees and echoing through the forest. Dovepaw felt an ache in her stomach start up, but she just started laughing harder.

"Sounds like you two might've shared a bad piece of fresh-kill," a voice joked, and Dovepaw blinked away tears to see Cinderheart standing over her, a small smirk lighting up her face. The two apprentices struggled to their paws and their laughter subsided, but they each had a stupid grin still plastered on their faces. "I just hope you didn't scare all of the prey into their dens."

"Come on, Cinderheart!" Ivypaw mewed, obviously biting back laughter, "Dovepaw's voice isn't _that_ deep!"

"Hey!" Dovepaw nudged her sister playfully, and they both giggled again. The gray warrior rolled her eyes and started to pad away, flicking her tail to gesture for them to follow. "Nah, I just think we've been stuck in camp a little _too _long. I bet this never happened to _you _as an apprentice!"

"No, it didn't," Cinderheart confirmed, pausing to scent the air, and then starting again at a much more leisurely pace. She slowed down until she walked side by side with Dovepaw. "But other things did."

"Like what?" Ivypaw queried, her tone persistent. With a light-hearted sigh, Cinderheart explained.

"Well, one time, I fell from the Sky Oak and broke my leg. I could barely leave the _medicine den _for a couple of moons. That was terrible."

Dovepaw drew in a sharp breath just starting to imagine the pain of a broken leg combined with the inability to do anything interesting. "That sure sounds horrible," she agreed. She opened her mouth to continue, but a faint rustling noise caught her attention and she halted, focusing her senses. _That's it, _she thought. A leaf was trembling right up next to a tree a few fox-lengths ahead. Dropping easily into a hunter's crouch, Dovepaw stalked forward, careful to keep her pawsteps light and her eyes glued onto the leaf, which seemed to be making its way, inch by inch, over to the sanctuary of a large berry bush.

"Dovepaw, what are you—" But Dovepaw lashed her tail meaningfully, cutting Cinderheart off mid-sentence. Dovepaw stopped dead, hesitating to even breathe for fear of spooking the little rodent. _Oh, for StarClan's sake…_ Seconds before the breeze shifted direction, she leaped, catching the mouse just as it scented her. She tossed the mouse up with her paws and killed it with a quick nip to the spine, laying her ruffled fur flat and dropping it at her paws. _Easy kill! _She looked back proudly to her Clanmate and sister to see their mouths agape with awe, and her face fell—surely it wasn't that amazing of a feat?

Sheepishly, she mumbled, "It was only a mouse."

"But Ivypaw and I couldn't even smell that from here," Cinderheart breathed, staring at Dovepaw as if she had two heads. "And that timing was so incredible…if you'd waited a few more heartbeats, it would've gotten away…"

"The winds changed direction on the moors first," Dovepaw blurted before she could stop herself, feeling her pelt grow hot with embarrassment as soon as the words left her mouth. "I…um…" But as hard as she thought, she couldn't think of a proper explanation for what she'd just admitted. "…Lucky guess?" she mewed quickly, the words so uncertain they came out as a question.

"No need to be humble." Dovepaw met her sister's gaze to see that Ivypaw's mood had changed abruptly – from happy and bubbly to bitter and venomous within a matter of a few heartbeats. Ivypaw's eyes burned with blue fire, and Dovepaw averted her gaze awkwardly.

Cinderheart still seemed to be in awe over Dovepaw's catch, but she shook herself and gave Ivypaw a quick glower of warning. "Well, come on then. Bury that and let's move on. I doubt there's going to be much more prey around here after that, unless they're stupid enough to _want _to be caught." Cinderheart purred with laughter, but it didn't reach her warm eyes, and Dovepaw could see that it had been forced. _Don't try to lighten the mood, _she thought at the gray she-cat; almost feeling bad for Cinderheart, who had unknowingly put herself right in the middle of another of her and Ivypaw's silly squabbles. _She won't see sense._

Feeling as embarrassed as if she'd just been publically reprimanded by Firestar himself, Dovepaw scratched a crude hole into the dirt and rolled the tiny, limp body into it. The whole time she worked, she could feel Ivypaw's resenting gaze burning into her pelt, and she couldn't help but mentally hit herself for making such a mousebrained mistake. Making sure she'd covered the fresh-kill thoroughly, she loped to catch up with Ivypaw and Cinderheart, looking everywhere except for her sister's gaze. The three cats walked in silence, but each could feel the others' emotions rolling off their pelts—Cinderheart's confusion, Ivypaw's rage, Dovepaw's regret. And then Cinderheart's ears pricked, and she stalked off in pursuit of StarClan knows what, leaving the two littermates alone with their thoughts.

Desperate to break the silence somehow, Dovepaw decided to do the only thing she could think of and dive right in. "Ivypaw, I'm sorry—" Her tone was pleading, and it was all she could do to hope that her littermate would listen, but Ivypaw just shook her head slowly—threateningly, almost. Taken aback, Dovepaw settled back into the awkward silence, scuffling her paws and trying not to yell at herself too much.

And then Ivypaw spoke, causing Dovepaw to nearly jump out of her skin. "I don't know what your problem is. Every time we make up after our last fight, you just have to go and screw it up again. You're either impressing everyone with that weird psychic thing you do, or you're saying something stupid." Ivypaw's voice broke on the last word, but she cleared her throat and continued as if nothing had happened. "Do you remember when we were kits and we promised each other we'd be together forever?" Dovepaw nodded weakly only to realize that the question had been rhetorical. Ivypaw gave a humorless laugh. "Well, I think I'm finally starting to come to, Dovepaw. _Together forever _isn't going to happen. It was never meant to. For _anybody_." She fixed Dovepaw with a stare so intense it sent shivers down her spine. "Tell me, Dovepaw. When's the last time you heard of any cats having a happily ever after?"

Dovepaw opened her mouth to reply, but she couldn't think of anything to say. Before she could answer, Ivypaw started again. "You see? It just doesn't happen. Cats die, or they grow apart. There's always _something_."

"But even if one dies, they'll be together in StarClan in the end," Dovepaw shot back, proud that she'd found a flaw in Ivypaw's depressing revelation.

"But even that ends," Ivypaw pressed, her voice taking a strange, manic tone. "Cats _fade_. Into _nothing_. It's just not realistic!"

Dovepaw took a startled step back from her sister, her fur bristling. "Ivypaw, stop," she begged, her legs trembling. "You're _scaring_ me." And she was beginning to feel frightened – but not for herself, for Ivypaw. Dovepaw couldn't fathom how Ivypaw would even know that StarClan cats fade away. She herself hadn't known that, and still didn't know if she believed her littermate. "I—I think you need to go and rest for a little while," she suggested gently, hearing the wariness in her own voice as she spoke.

Ivypaw's lips curled back into a silent snarl as she spat, "_No_, Dovepaw! If you're not going to be sensible, then that's not my problem. I'm telling you this for your own good, okay? It's _your _choice whether to believe me or not. I _wanted_ us to be best friends forever. That's why I didn't tell you this sooner. I kept giving us another chance. Obviously, it's all been in vain." A strange, knowing smirk spread across her face and she shook her head, as if she thought it was the most ridiculous thing the word. "Together forever? Yeah, _right_. More like together for _never_."

Hot tears pricked at the corner of Dovepaw's vision, and she swallowed hard, willing herself not to cry. "I-if that's what you really want, then fine!" she cried, trying to sound just as sure as her sister, and failing. The more she tried to stop her voice from shaking, the more obviously it shook. _I can't believe this is really happening! _"But I think you have bees in your brain! Where there's a will, there's a way—we could make this work," she added, praying that her sister would all of a sudden change her mind. But Ivypaw just sighed and shook her head again.

"No. This is what I want, Dovepaw." She hesitated and then corrected herself, speaking much more insistently, "This is what I _need_."

Feeling as if she'd just been smacked across the face, Dovepaw inhaled and turned pointedly away from her sister. _I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not… _But she couldn't hold the tears in any longer—staring at the ground as Ivypaw wouldn't see, Dovepaw let them fall; let them blur her vision until all she could see were indistinct smears of color and light. For a few moments that seemed to stretch on for hours, Dovepaw felt nothing besides the light breeze cooling her fur and warm tears rolling down her cheeks. The scent of fresh-kill brought her crashing back to the earth, however, and Dovepaw sniffed loudly, looking up to see Cinderheart standing in front of her looking quite worried.

Cinderheart dropped the plump sparrow and looked, confused, from Dovepaw to Ivypaw and then back again. "I'm back," she announced, stating the obvious in her puzzlement, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Dovepaw said at the very same time Ivypaw loudly announced "I'm going back to camp." Dovepaw bit her lip and forced herself not to look back at her sister. _Might as well stop thinking of her as my sister, _she thought bitterly, _considering she pretty much just disowned me. _"I…don't really want to talk about it." She looked away from Cinderheart's expectant stare, wishing she could curl up in her cozy nest and sleep everything away.

"I understand." Cinderheart's tone was kindly and sympathetic, and she didn't ask anymore questions. "Let's go get your mouse and head back as well." The spring long gone from her step, Dovepaw followed the slender warrior distractedly, unable to keep her thoughts off the exchange that had just gone on. One single question kept running through her mind:

_What is happening to my sister?_

**Well, um, geez. That ended up a lot longer then I planned for it to be, haha. Anyway, a few things—in case you don't know what a "sporfle" is, it's basically the "phphthtppp" noise you make when you try to hold back a laugh. No, it's not a real word, but I like it a lot. ALMOST as much as I like the word derp. derpderpderpppp. Also, I stayed up until 1:30 in the AM writing this chapter, sooo I certainly hope you guys like it enough to review! :D AAAND, I wrote "Cinderheart" as "Cinderpelt" once in this. LOL. I think that's my subconscious telling me to go to SLEEP.**

**Well anyway, I can't wait for chapter two, haha! I'm so darn excited for this story! yaaaay!  
Flock xx**

**p.s. HAPPY 4****TH**** to those of you live in the US (:**


	3. Two

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors, but I do own your soul. Muahaha…**

**Thanks to you guys who reviewed :3 Hope you like this chapter! And Brambleshadow, yes, the Erins are also going to write from Flametail's POV in the real Night Whispers. I, however, am not, because I think that's random and too confusing. There are other things the Erins will be doing in the real Night Whispers that I'll also be doing in my version…for example, bringing in a female villain…I mean, what? o.O I've said too much already! Eeep!**

The long grass lapped at her paws as she waited, blue eyes scanning the misty clearing expectantly. _He should be here by now. Why isn't he here? _she thought, brows furrowing as a butterfly drifted past her, its fluorescent wings fluttering lazily. Skillfully, she lashed out with a paw and brought it crashing to the ground, her chest swelling with pride as it struggled to escape her firm hold. _He'd be proud of that, if he'd seen it. I'm finally getting the hang of controlling my reflexes. _Mercifully, she lifted her paw and watched the tiny butterfly hurry away, startled. She watched it as it flew, wondering what it would be like to be light as air, without a care in the world besides finding flower after flower to drink from.

A twig cracked behind her, shaking her out of her reverie. Just as his hot breath warmed her flank, she turned, eyes glittering with anticipation. "Finally!" she mewed, her ears flicking good-naturedly. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up."

The bulky tom purred with laughter, his own blue eyes glinting with amusement. "I'll always show up, Ivypaw," he assured her, his intense gaze sending shivers down her spine. Hawkfrost's eyes darted to the butterfly and then back to Ivypaw, and he cracked a tiny smile. "I saw you catch it."

"You did?" Ivypaw's face lit up as her heart swelled with hope that he'd give her the praise she craved so much; that not even her own mentor seemed to want to give her these days. It felt like Hawkfrost was the only cat who could appreciate her. "What did you think?"

"Excellent reflexes," he reported, nodding to the little she-cat. "And you were very calm about it. That's always good, because the victim won't know it's coming and will stay confused afterward."

"Thank you," she breathed, savoring every word. She sprang to her paws excitedly, itching to get started. "Can we do some more battle training today?"

Hawkfrost arched a questioning brow. "I think you're a little too eager for that. We'll get to it, in time. But for now, why don't we talk a bit more?" he suggested, his tone gentle and enticing. But Ivypaw's heart still sank. The next time she was in a battle like the ShadowClan one, she wanted to be ready—more so than her sister, who always seemed to keep Ivypaw in her shadow. _Not anymore._

"Fine." After thinking for a heartbeat, Ivypaw decided to tell Hawkfrost about the exchange with Dovepaw. "I told Dovepaw what you told me to," she said, meeting Hawkfrost's eyes and hoping for his approval. "She was…upset. But hopefully, now that I've disassociated myself from her, I can make my own place in the Clan," she added, proud that she'd remembered the big word Hawkfrost had used last time, when he'd told her what she needed to do to fix the situation with Dovepaw.

Hawkfrost nodded, and though he didn't smile to show it, Ivypaw could see that quietly pleased look in his eyes. Proud of herself, she stood up a little straighter and pricked her ears to listen to the tom's response. "Perfect. You're going to be a great cat, Ivypaw. You helped your Clan look strong by starting that battle…now you're making sure that your Clanmates see you when they look at you, instead of seeing a lesser version of your sister."

Ivypaw's ear flicked thoughtfully. "But that battle injured lots of cats, and Firestar lost a life. And Russetfur died," she mused, wondering if it had really been worth it. But Hawkfrost wouldn't lie to her, would he?

"Sometimes, power comes at a price," Hawkfrost replied, his eyes flashing with an emotion that Ivypaw didn't recognize. But as soon as Hawkfrost blinked, the strange fire in his blue eyes was gone, just as quickly as it had appeared. Ivypaw shrugged it away. She didn't pay attention to details much. "This is a good opportunity to learn something. There will always be things—or cats—that get in your way. So what do you do?"

"You, uh, compromise?" Ivypaw guessed, feeling embarrassed that she didn't know the answer. _You're going to look stupid in front of Hawkfrost…mousebrain! You should study or something!_

"No." Hawkfrost shook his head, but he didn't look at all frustrated that the apprentice had guessed incorrectly. "You push it aside. Anyone who tries to stop you is an enemy." Ivypaw nodded; the logic made sense to her. _Does that mean Dovepaw is my enemy? _she thought, lashing her tail. _I don't really want to be _enemies_ with her…I just want to keep my distance until she comes to. But… _Before Ivypaw could continue her thought, Hawkfrost was speaking again. "And enemies must be disposed of, if they get too…wild. There will be cats who will try to stop you from doing what's right, no matter the cost. Those cats are not right in the head. There are many of them," he explained, his tone one of warning, "and you might be surprised which cats reveal themselves to be this way. It could be your leader. Your father. Your denmate." He fixed her with a grave stare and continued. "Or your sister." Ivypaw swallowed hard and nodded again, gesturing for him to go on. "You're doing all the Clans a favor if you get rid of these cats. There are ways to do it cleanly, easily—without anyone even knowing that it's you."

Ivypaw's eyes grew wide at Hawkfrost's words. He wanted her to _kill_? Prey was one thing, it was meant to be killed and eaten—but other cats? Ivypaw wasn't so sure. "But killing cats is wrong," she protested. "The warrior code even says so. And all the queens say that if you kill, you'll go somewhere instead of StarClan, and you'll always live—I mean, be dead—in suffering and torture."

"Killing cats out of cold blood is wrong," Hawkfrost said gently, resting his tail on Ivypaw's shoulder. "But this wouldn't be out of cold blood, Ivypaw. This is doing even _StarClan _a favor. StarClan can't get rid of these ill cats, so they must count on the living—for example, you—to do it for them. Have you heard about Ashfur?" he questioned, his gaze so intense that Ivypaw was almost entranced.

"Um, yes, I think so." Ivypaw racked her brain to think of how the ThunderClan warrior had died. It had been before she and Dovepaw were born, she knew that much. "He was murdered by some cat, wasn't he?"

"Not murdered," Hawkfrost corrected her. "Murdered is a harsh word, Ivypaw. Ashfur was _taken care of _because he was trying to stop some cat from doing what was _right_. Do you understand?"

"I think so," Ivypaw said, trying to get her thoughts in order. "So…it's okay to kill cats if they're bad?"

"That's right, and which cats are considered 'bad'?"

"Cats who get in your way and try to stop you from doing what's right," Ivypaw mewed, proud that she'd followed Hawkfrost's lecture. "It's weird that they don't teach you this stuff, you know, in the Clans. If it's so important you would think they should," she added. Hawkfrost nodded, smiling darkly.

"Yes, well…some cats are afraid of change. Now, Ivypaw, since you're such a fast learner, this took much less time than I planned for, and I think we can start the actual training process. Longclaw, Swallowheart, come here!" Hawkfrost barked at the shadows, his voice firm and authoritative. Two cats with their bones showing through their fur and a wild, almost scared look in their eyes slunk out from the gloom of the forest, cowering below Hawkfrost's bulky form. "Assume your positions."

The two cats went to stand directly in front of Ivypaw, and they stood like any normal cat would, as if they were going about normal business—just hanging around the fresh-kill pile or waiting to hear which cats would be going to the Gathering. Ivypaw wasn't sure how that was even considered a position, but she didn't pay much mind to it, instead shooting Hawkfrost a confused glance. "What are you going to teach me to do?"

Hawkfrost smiled, and Ivypaw shivered at the strange look in his eyes—the same look she'd seen earlier. It was eerie and wild, and she didn't like it much. "Today, Ivypaw, I am going to teach you how to kill a cat."

… … …

Ivypaw stood beneath Cinderheart's stern gaze, head raised high. Her nighttime lessons with Hawkfrost had given her a strong, unwavering confidence—a warm feeling in her bones that never failed to make her purr when she woke up. But behind her proud façade, Ivypaw was tired. Exhausted, even. It was as if she weren't really getting any sleep at all. The sessions with Hawkfrost always left her drained. He never failed to find a new way to tax her; to test her limits. Still, Ivypaw did not complain. It was for the greater good, she thought, cracking a small smile as she recalled Hawkfrost's words. It seemed like one of his favorite things to say.

Her mentor's voice jostled her out of her thoughts. "Now, if you're in battle and you're in a situation where you are sure to lose, what do you think you should do? Keep fighting out of loyalty?"

"No," Ivypaw replied, sure of her answer. "Run. Fleeing the situation is just as loyal, because if you had ended up fighting to the death, your Clan would have lost a perfectly good warrior."

Cinderheart nodded. "Always use your best judgment—don't be afraid to run away. Good answer, Ivypaw." The she-cat's gentle brown eyes twinkled with pride, and Ivypaw straightened up, feeling that usual itch in her paws; a burning desire to fight. The thrill of battles, even if only during training, exhilarated Ivypaw now—she almost couldn't wait until one of the other Clans stirred up more trouble.

"Now," Cinderheart continued, "I've asked Bumblestripe to help me with today's lesson. There will be times during a battle when it ends up as two against one—if you're ever that one, you'll need to know how to handle it. Bumblestripe and I will team up against you, and you just go with your gut instinct, okay?"

Ivypaw's heart sank as Cinderheart explained the lesson. She'd been hoping for something new so she could impress Hawkfrost at their next meeting. As it was, she'd already gone over this with the StarClan tom several times. Oh, well, she thought, formulating a quick strategy in her head. It'll be good review. Ivypaw assumed a standard battle stance as Bumblestripe padded forward from the sidelines. The two older cats began to pace in circles around, and Ivypaw turned as well, making sure they were continually in her line of sight.

Quick as lightning, Bumblestripe charged at her from the side, his ears pulled back in concentration. Ivypaw saw it coming and ducked. The older tom sailed straight over her head and he grunted in frustration, landing clumsily as he tried to change direction in mid-air, tripping over his own paws as he did so. Cinderheart let out an amused purr as she, too, darted forward, paws outstretched. Ivypaw jumped up to meet her and their legs locked together, trembling as they both tried to push the other back. Ivypaw realized she'd made a mistake when Bumblestripe at her again, swiping at her unprotected belly. His claws were sheathed, but the blow still stung.

With a snarl of determination, Ivypaw relinquished her grasp on Cinderheart and weaved around the gray she-cat, avoiding her lashing paws by mere mouse-lengths. She nipped furiously at Cinderheart's tail, a momentary distraction; but it was all she needed. Cinderheart yelped and yanked her tail out of Ivypaw's grasp, hesitating. Ivypaw swept her paw under Cinderheart's hind legs, sending her mentor tumbling to the ground. Cinderheart lay there, stunned, as Ivypaw took on Bumblestripe, facing him head-on.

Bumblestripe smiled—he obviously thought he had this fight secured. He was much bigger and stronger than Ivypaw—delicate Cinderheart had been a piece of cake, but Bumblestripe, though a fairly new warrior, was a different story. If anything that fact only made Ivypaw more desperate to prove herself. She dove straight in, dodging the tom's blows easily. Bumblestripe lashed out at Ivypaw's nose, and when she jerked backward, he stumbled. Ivypaw jumped at the opportunity-she put as much force as she could behind her carefully calculated strike, bringing her forepaw crashing down on the warrior's skull. With a defeated grunt, Bumblestripe crumpled to the ground, cringing visibly. Feeling triumphant, Ivypaw planted a paw on Bumblestripe's flank, holding him down.

"Ha!" she cried, relishing that sky-high feeling as adrenaline pulsed through her veins. "I won!"

Looking thoroughly impressed, Cinderheart hauled herself back onto to all four of her paws and shook her head as if in disbelief. "Wow," she breathed, and Ivypaw could almost see her grasping for words. She's speechless! Ivypaw realized, grinning to herself. "Where in StarClan's name did you learn to fight like that? You were fighting like a seasoned warrior."

What they don't know won't hurt them, she thought, giving a nonchalant shrug, as if it were no big deal, though she knew it was. "I guess I'm just a natural," she mewed, refusing to tell any cat about her secret second mentor. It had occurred to her that her worrisome seniors might attempt to stop her from seeing him—she couldn't have that.

Cinderheart padded over to help Bumblestripe to his paws. He stood up with a frustrated groan and shook the dust off his coat. He blinked at Ivypaw in surprise, flicking his ear in acknowledgement. "That was pretty impressive. I couldn't fight like that at your age." Ivypaw raised her head high with pride, and Cinderheart purred in amusement.

"You did very well," the older she-cat meowed, touching noses with Ivypaw lightly. Cinderpelt's eyes lit up as she caught sight of something behind Ivypaw. "There's Lionblaze and Dovepaw—you up to showing them what you did?"

Ivypaw's heart sank. As much as she wanted to prove herself in front of her sister, she'd much rather do so indirectly. She felt relieved now that she didn't feel so _connected_ to Dovepaw, but she still wasn't sure if she could face her sister without letting down her guard. Putting on a stony expression, Ivypaw shook her head and turned away, padding calmly toward the path back to camp. "No thanks. I think I'm going to go be with Briarlight for a little bit." Ivypaw could hear the coldness in her own voice. If she'd learned one thing over the past sunrise, it was that she was a good liar.

She didn't look her sister's way, but she could feel how hurt she was; her confused gaze burning into Ivypaw's white and tabby pelt. As she made her way out of camp, she forced herself not to look back, remember something Hawkfrost had told her: _The sooner you stop caring about her, the easier it will be. _If some cat had told Ivypaw just a few moons before then that she'd be completely severing her ties with her own sister, her littermate and best friend (ex-best friend, now, Ivypaw corrected herself grimly), she would've called them crazy—but now, she could hardly wait for the day she'd stop feeling bad about all this.


End file.
